Neoalcis californiaria
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
Neoalcis californiaria, the Brown-lined looper, is a common North American moth, with a range along the west coast from British Columbia to California. Its larva is a looper (inchworm) caterpillar that feeds on Douglas Fir and other conifers trees. It is identified by the position of three dark lines on each wing and scalloped edges of the hindwing.
Neoalcis is a monotypic genus of moths in the family Geometridae erected by James Halliday McDunnough in 1920. It is the only species in the genus, and was first described by Packard in 1871. The wingspan is about 34 mm.
The Brown-lined Looper's ground color ranges from ashy gray, to light brown to dark brown, with numerous brown speckles and variable patches of darker shading between crosslines. Wing edges are scalloped. It has three dark transverse lines on both forewing and hindwing, however the middle line may be obscure. When in a resting posture, with wings spread, the darkest crossline (the PM line) of the hindwing is set lower and dose not line up with the darkest line of the forewing.
On the forewing, the basal line is curved convexly and ends on the costa at the basal third. The middle line is broader towards... Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 3 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Portland | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Seattle | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Sacramento | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-Lined Looper sighting in San Francisco on a given day, based on 51 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 230th most-seen of the 737 insects we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
October
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-Lined Looper in San Francisco on a given day, against under 5% in November to September, the lowest months. That is one of San Francisco's driest months, with about 25 mm of rain against 110 mm in December.
Between 8 and 11 am
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Brown-Lined Looper sightings with a recorded time, and about 6 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is seen both by day and at night.
5th of 5
Of the 5 cities where we can rate Brown-Lined Looper sightings, San Francisco ranks 5th at under 5%. The best odds are in Portland (United States, about 10%), Seattle (United States, about 10%) and Vancouver (Canada, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Brown-Lined Looper is recorded against all the insects logged in San Francisco (51 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
